JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – People around the nation are remembering those killed in the Sept. 11th attacks.
Tuesday marks 17 years since the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Nearly 3,000 people died when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.
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Thousands of victims’ relatives, survivors, first responders and others are expected at a ceremony at the World Trade Center as the names of the victims will be read at ground zero.
The president and first lady will attend an anniversary ceremony at a new 9/11 memorial near Shanksville Pennsylvania. A new tower, honoring the 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93, was dedicated there Saturday. The Tower of Voices is still under construction but will include a wind chime for each of the 40 people killed there.
Vice President Mike Pence will attend a ceremony at the Pentagon while White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says President Donald Trump will focus on remembering the "horrific day" and honoring the lives that were lost and the emergency responders who risked their lives in the aftermath.
Local tributes to 9/11
Several ceremonies and events will also be held across the first coast to pay tribute to the lives lost. Some will also honor local first responders along with the fallen from 9/11.
Operation Gratitude is honoring first responders in Jacksonville on Tuesday, Sept. 11, bringing together volunteers to express their gratitude for local heroes by delivering First Responder Care Pouches to the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Station #1 starting at 10 a.m.
The Travis Manion Foundation will host this year’s Jacksonville Heroes 9/11 5K race at 6:30 p.m. at SeaWalk Pavilion. The race will unite the community to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost on 9/11, as well as to honor our veterans, military, and first responders who serve our country and our communities.
9/11 Observance onboard the USS New York
A private event will be held at Naval Station Mayport on the USS New York- a ship forever tied to the events of 9/11.
The ship recently returned from a six month deployment- just in time for sailors to prepare the ship for the special ceremony.
The ship is filled with memorabilia from the tragic day. A fire helmet and police hats that once belonged to first responders who lost their lives on 9/11 are all somber reminders of the ship’s namesake.
The ship received eight and a half tons of steel from the World Trade Center. According to Commander Master Chief Ben Hodges, some of that metal is now part of the ship’s hull.
“Seven and a half tons of that is in our bow stem The part of the ship that cuts through the water,” Hodges explained.
The rest can be found along the wall inside the ship, alongside the colors of the fire department, police department and the port authority.
“Every day as the workers were making their way in, they touched this piece of steel to remind themselves of how important the work they were doing was,” Hodges said. “Our ships motto is strength forced through sacrifice, never forget. We take it extremely personally to never forget the events of that day."
Hundreds will attend the special ceremony and get the chance to honor the lives lost.
It is a closed event but you can catch a glimpse of the ceremony beginning on News4Jax at noon.